Members of the Windrush generation will be refused British citizenship, the government has announced.

In a statement issued late on Friday afternoon, home secretary Sajid Javid said a number of Caribbean nationals who came to Britain between 1948 and 1971 would not qualify for citizenship because they failed to meet the “necessary good character requirement” due to committing criminal offences.

Windrush citizens are supposed to be afforded the same rights as British citizens, so the announcement is likely to prompt renewed accusations that they are effectively awarded second-class status.

So they can't stay because they are criminals and us law abiding citizens have had to carry their arses?! That's outrageous, I want them to stay, they deserve the rights of us who work hard and take the hard times with the rough without resorting to crime

I dunno.....I know that if I fcuk up over here I could potentially lose my US Citizenship. It would have to be something major....a "really bad felony" or something equally heinous.Citizenship granted to foreign nationals is for productive members of society....it's not 2nd class, you just don't have the birthright thing to fall back on.

It's any criminal record. No matter what the offence is. So that's been caught breaking the law in a 23 year period and they can't stay here unless they can prove that they lived here before 1973.

The change in criteria isn't the biggest issue here (unless it directly affects you). What's amazing is how the government has access to criminal records from that far back but can't find any evidence of these people living here before 1973. it's more proof of how the UK has treated people they invited to work here and now wants to shit on them from a massive height.

I agree with D here!! Break the law suffer the consequences. They wanted to come here to be law abiding citizens and to have a better life. Not to live off us for a free ride, we have enough from every other country who believe that is prefectly acceptable.

I used to work with a bloke (he was a tw@) but when he was younger he went over to the states with his friends. He stayed and worked for months until he was caught. He was kicked out and banned from going back even now he's on the watch list apprently and said if he enters he would be on the first plane back. All he did was bar work for a bit of money in the sun without the correct documentation. He didnt murder anyone! And yet we our little GB people are so soft we would allow these criminals to stay over here.

Rossgo wrote:I agree with D here!! Break the law suffer the consequences. They wanted to come here to be law abiding citizens and to have a better life. Not to live off us for a free ride, we have enough from every other country who believe that is prefectly acceptable.

Rossgo, what makes you think they haven't contributed.

By the way, I have a criminal record. Does that mean I'm no longer a person and/or contributing towards society?

So what are you saying? We should allow people with serious offences to stay in our country when they broke the rules? I can understand the guys who was caught with a bit of green or something but the guys who spent serious time inside are all of a sudden model citizens and should be allowed to be around us even if they are old people?

The government has refused, saying it can't find the paperwork. So everyone has to prove they've lived here between 1948 and 1971

However, the government has all of the paperwork it needs to say you've got a criminal record. Even though they've got no details of anyone living here.

The point is that our government is lying to stop people claiming the pensions they've worked for.

I agree, violent criminals and persistent offenders shouldn't have an automatic right to claim UK citizenship. But surely it should be done on a case by case basis?

Couldn't agree more mate. Think that is very well put to be honest. When they have worked for it for more years than us I would hate not to give them their right to something they have slogged for, paying taxes, raising their children, and let's be honest back then it would of been an amazing life to go and live in Britain. I hope they honor this and these people do have the evidence. I'm sure they will have something but then again at those times it wasn't the easiest of times. However i cant see them being pushed out I think we will make allowances somewhere. News articles lile to press our buttons

Yes i agree case by case. Not all crimes are the same. Like I say a guy who likes a bit of green in their evenings aren't a threat...even though the police seem to think its the end of the world when they find it on someone but a voilent pedo who abused and then killed little girls that's a totally different conversation. I personally wouldn't even want to pay for them for being in our prison system...just take them on a boat in the middle of the sea and let them take a swim....!